Brassiere



Dec. 30, 1952 s. HALPER 2,523,212

BRASSIERE Filed April 22, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET -1 &

Dec. 1952 s. HALPER 2,623,212

BRASSIERE Filed April 22, 1950 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 Patented Dec. 30, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a garment of the brassire type designed to enable the breasts of the wearer to be supported in a youthful and firmly uplifting manner. More particularly I provide an elastic member sewed to the brassiere in accordance with my invention whereby such a brassire will provide firm support and separation, especially for heavy and pendulous breasts. My new brassiere will also firmly mold small breasts in a figure flattering style.

In brassieres of the general character to which this invention relates, it is desirable to afford means for uplifting and supporting and separating the breasts in their natural and most attractive position while at the same time insuring the maximum degree of freedom and comfort to the wearer. Prior attempts to achieve these desirable objectives have resulted in various combinations and arrangements which succeed at least in part in lifting and protruding the lower part of the breast, but have not attained the smooth, balanced, natural effect sought after. These attempts have been directed mainly to a brassiere particularly adapted to support heavy, pendulous breasts so that when such a brassiere is worn by a person having small breasts, in-

adequate molding of the breasts in a firm manner results.

Examples of prior art means devised for reinforcing the bottoms of the brassiere cups are numerous, such as, installation of loosely hanging bands in the brassire cups adapted to pass under the breasts and support them; or incorporation into the fabric of the breast pockets of elastic material; or provision of a sliding cord arranged around the brassiere cups adapted to be pulled when the brassiere is worn. Though the above constructions have been designed for support of heavy breasts none have been completely successful and moreover, none have been satisfactory for firmly molding of small breasts. In addition, these prior art brassieres have been found lacking in durability and strength so that after long and continued use they were found to be worthless. In the case of wearers having heavy, pendulous breasts, any satisfactory support derived was only at the expense of the comfort and convenience of the wearer.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of this in vention to provide a brassiere embodying my invention which will provide proper and adequate support to the wearer in a figure flattering manner.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel brassiere which is economical and sim- Die.

Another object of this invention is to provide a brassiere which is particularly suitable for adequately supporting and separating heavy and pendulous breasts and also equally adapted for firmly molding small or medium size breasts.

Another object of this invention is to provide 2 a brassiere having an elastic member sewed thereto in the manner herein described which will maintain the breasts in an uplifted and separated position without discomfort or moonvenience to the wearer.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a brassire having an elastic member sewed to the brassiere pockets in a stretched condition so that the tension of the member always supports the breasts in an efficient manner.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention includes certain means the construction and arrangement of such parts of which I consider novel and will describe and illustrate in the accompanying drawings. While I have described my method and construction specifically in connection with brassieres, I. do not wish to limit myself thereby but rather would include all variations which do not depart from the spirit of my invention in its application along any analogous lines, as I will point out in the appended claims. I contemplate combination garments which include a brassiere portion.

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of my invention I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of my construction which, together with my discussion and the following description would result in an understanding of my invention, the mode of construction, assembly and operation of the parts thereof and in an appreciation of the many advantages inherent therein.

Referring to the drawings in which the same characters of references are employed to indicate corresponding or similar parts throughout the figures of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a brassiere embodying my invention and showing same prior to being donned by the wearer.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the brassiere shown in Fig. l and showing same in operative position on the wearer.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevational view of the same brassiere with parts thereof broken away to show more details thereof.

Fig. 4 is a median vertical sectional view through one of the pockets of the brassiere as shown in Fig.2.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a pocket of the brassiere showing the method of securing the elastic member thereto.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken from the inside of the brassiere pocket and showing the manner that the elastic member is secured.

The advantages attributable to my brassire are engendered by a novel constructional feature which heretofore has not been used to the best of my knowledge. In order to reinforce the brassiere cups for attaining better support of the breasts, I provide elastic members being first pre-stretched and then attached to the cups in this stretched condition. As a result, when the elastic is released after having been attached, the contraction of the elastic to its normal untensed condition will pull the material of the cups with it, thereby shirring or collapsing the material around said cups. In order to don the brassiere, the wearer must once more stretch the elastic members whereby the pockets are enlarged sufficiently to receive the breasts therein. Again, upon release of the elastic members, the

said members will contract around the base and inner circumference of each of the breasts and exert a pressure thereagainst whereby the breasts will be properly and adequately supported and separated. In addition, the pull of the elastic members serve to firmly mold the breasts in a figure flattering manner.

This arrangement has been demonstrated to be particularly effective in supporting heavy and pendulous breasts but is also advantageous when worn by a wearer having small or moderately sized breasts. Although the pull of the elastic around the base of breasts must necessarily be appreciable in order to operate efiiciently, the wearer of a brassire embodying my invention is never made uncomfortable or in any manner in- .conveniencedby the pulling force of the elastic .due to. the distribution of forces occasioned by my construction.

.The brassiere embodying my invention is herein designated generally by the reference character 20. Same is characterized by a belt or band member 2| adapted to encircle the body of the wearer. immediately below the breasts and having a pair of substantially similar breast-receiving shaped pockets or cups 22 and 23 joined at ad- ,iacent edges by the stra 24 in the faceor front of the brassiere. The cup 22 includes a side band 25 and back band 26 while the cup 23 includesa similar side band (not shown) and back band 21. The bands 25 and 2? are ordinarily .provided with complementary fastening means suitable for permitting detachable coupling thereof at the back of the brassiere when same is worn. The cups 22 and 23 are conically shaped and adapted to receive therein the breasts of the wearer for supporting anduplifting same. At-

tached to the back bands .26 and 2'! are shoulder straps 28 and 29 which-are secured also to the upper central portions of the cups 22 and 23 respectively. The straps 28 and 29 are also provided with buckles 30, 30 whereby the length of the straps may be adjusted as the wearer sees fit. .It will be understood that the brassiere 2i] as thus far described is of a construction well-known in the art. In such a garment the major support is attained by reason of the pockets ensheathing the breasts being suspended from the shouldersof the wearer by means of the shoulder straps 28 and 29. Likewise, the bottoms and adjacent portions of the breasts are intended to be engaged by the pockets in cooperation with the to relieve the cutting without exception are undesirable. These consist of increasing the width and strength of the back bands and connecting elastic; increasing the Width and extent of the band 2!; or using wire to provide additional support.

My invention provides elastic members sewn into the breast receiving cups or pockets on the bottom and inside edges thereof, in such a manner as to enable the application of gentle, but firm contracting pressure about the breast whereby to support, and shape the breasts. This serves to relieve a portion of the pressure upon the shoulder straps without the necessity of using unsightly reinforcements. In addition, the contracting action of the elastic members gently compresses the breasts While the garment is being worn, thereby causing same to be more readily molded to the shape of the breast cups or pockets at the forward portions thereof, and also causing same to be more firm and youthful appearing.

Referring now .to Fig. 3, same comprises an inside View of the brassiere 20 with the left hand breast receiving cup 22 intact but with the right hand breast receiving cup or pocket 23 cut onthe seam 36 substantially from the .apex of the cup 22 and with the remainder of the cup 22 rotated in a clockwise direction approximately 90. The purpose of this view is to demonstrate the manner in which the novel reinforcing members of my invention are attached to the inside of the brassiere.

I provide arcuate elastic members and 3'! on the inside of the respective cup members 22 and 23 for achieving the results attributed to my construction. Said member 35 is sewn along the inside edge 32 of the cup or pocket 22 by a line of stitching 38 so that the member 35 follows the arcuate contour of ,said cup v22'from a point 39 adjacent the top of the pocket 22 to a point 40 adjacent the bottom of the cup 22, encircling substantially half of said pocket. It is within the scope of my invention to have the said member 35 encircle more of the said cup or pocket 22 but I have found that this is not only unnecessary but increases the labor and the material required to produce the garment.

The arcuate member 31, is intended to be secured about the inside edge 4| of the pocket 23 in much the same manner by means of a line of stitching 42 which extends from a point 43 on the top of the pocket to the point #4 on the bottom of the cup 23. In ,said Figure 3, one end 'of the member 31 is shown extended straight out at 45. in itsunattached condition.

The elastic members 35 and 31 are sewed to their respective breast cups with only the outer edges thereof secured. Thus the inner edges 46 and 4'. of the arcuate members are free to stretch and move for the purpose of exerting the desired pressure against the breasts 48. The assembled condition of'the elastic members 35 and 31 is untensed, but the respective brassiere cup edges 32 and 4| are shirred or gathered as shown at 49 and 50 respectively. The brassiere 20 therefore presents a considerably crinkled condition as indicated by Fig. 1.

The effect of such construction is that the size of breasts 48 intended to be inserted into said cups 22 and 23 is larger than the contracted size of the cups. The cups must therefore be stretched in order to permit the brassire to be worn. This stretching of the edges 32 and 4| of the cups 22 and 23 respectively is enabled by reason of the shirring so that when the brassire is properly in place, the surfaces thereof are smooth and the cups filled out, the shirring or crinkling having disappeared as shown in Fig. 2. This produces an increase in the cup circumference with an attendant stretching of the arcuate elastic members 35 and 31. The said members are therefore placed under tension when the brassiere is worn and will exert a force radially of the cup circumference. This compresses the breasts 48, serving to lift the same from the bottom, separate the same, and force same firmly to protrude into the brassiere cups. The freedom of the edges 46 and 41 enables more even distribution of the resulting force and application of the pressure without pulling on the fabric of the cups. The condition referred to is illustrated in the sectional view of Fig. 4.

My invention can be achieved in a constructional embodiment by the use of pre-formed arcuate members to serve as the parts 35 and 31, or conventional elastic tape capable of longitudinal stretch only may be sewn into the brassire as illustrated in Fig. 3.

While there may be other methods of producing my device, I prefer a method which will hereinafter be described. I form the brassiere 2i] in any desired manner or I may even purchase commercially available brassieres. Such brassires may or may not be associated with other types of garments since my invention is applicable to combination corsets and the like which include as a part thereof a brassiere top. Having cut the elastic members to size I lay out the brassiere with the inside exposed, stretch the elastic member to its fullest extent and sew the same about the inner edge of the brassire in this stretched out condition. This is shown in Fig. 5. The stretched out elastic member 31 is sewn by the line of stitching 42 to the inner edge 4| of the cup 23 starting from the point 44 and continuing around the circumference of the said cup.

This procedure is followed with each cup of the brassiere until the arcuate members 35 and 37 are properly installed. After the elastic members 35 and 31 are thus secured, the same will contract to their originaluntensed condition.

The contraction will cause the cups 22 and 23 to collapse and be drawn toward each other as best seen in Fig. 1. The brassiere at this time is characterized by deep folds 49 and 50 formed in the wall of cups 22 and 23. Since the elastic members 35 and 31 extend also along the bottoms of the cups 22, 23, the band 2| will also be drawn together to form similar deep folds. Prior to being donned by the wearer, the brassiere 20 will have the crinkled appearance referred to and illustrated in Fig. 1.

To don the brassiere 20. the wearer stretches the cups 22 and 23 an amount sufficient to accommodate the breasts 48. The breasts are thus inserted into the cups 22 and 23, the said cups are adjusted until the wearer is comfortable and the brassire surface is smooth.

As previously explained the elastic members tend to assume their unstretched condition thereby contracting about the base of the breasts. It will be appreciated that the elastics 35 and 3! will be prevented from becoming fully unstretched by reason of the breasts ensheathed in the brassiere cups. Thus, the elastic 35 and 37 will always be tensed when the brassiere is worn thereby exerting an inward thrust against the breasts serving to mold and to uplift them.

The manner of operation of the elastic members 35 and 31 when the brassiere is in operative position on the wearer is best shown in Figs. 4 and 6. Since the member 35 is secured only along the edge thereof to the inside of the cup 22, when the brassire is donned, the edge of the elastic 355 will spring away from the material of the cup 22, thereby exerting an upward thrust against the breast is as at 52. The elastic member 35 is always under some tension while the brassiere 2i! is worn. In the case of heavy, pendulous breasts same are fully and adequately supported and separated by the tension effect of the elastic member around the base thereof. In the case of smaller breasts, this tension effect results in the breasts being firmly molded in a figure fiattering manner.

From the above explanation it is believed that my invention comprising a novel brassiere has been completely set forth so that all of its features and ramifications should be obvious to one skilled in the art. Various modifications coming within the spirit of my invention may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. Hence, although I have set forth a preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited to the specific form shown and described except to the extent indicated in the appended claim, which is to be interpreted as broadly as the state of the art will permit.

I claim:

In a brassiere having a pair of breast cups joined along their adjacent inner edges, and means for enabling the wearer to don the brassiere with the cups ensheathing the wearers breasts, the herein invention which comprises an arcuate tensile member secured about the inner side of each of said breast cups along the edges thereof and extending at least from the bottoms thereof around the inner periphery to the tops thereof, said arcuate member being slack and said cup edges being gathered whereby when the brassiere is donned the tensile member will stretch and engage around the base of the breasts cf the wearer with a compressing action, whilst the cup edges will become smooth, said action being upward and inward against said breasts, said tensile members each comprising an elastic strap stretchable only along the length thereof. and secured only along the outer circumferential edge thereof to said cup edges, leaving a major portion of said members free to distribute the resulting pressure and to move relative to said cups.

SYLVIA HALPER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 328,207 Fulmer Oct. 13, 1885 1,513,520 Pruzan Oct. 28, 1924 1,813,389 Duff July 7, 1931 2,185,159 Rubinstein Dec. 26, 1939 2,202,058 Malnick May 28, 1940 2,362,974 Cohen Nov. 21, 1944 2,543,984 Panes Mar. 6, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 300,232 Italy Sept. 2, 1932 

